Overall Score
The natural homeland of the Caribbean island is the city of Vilémstadt, the center of Curaçao. It was founded in 1634 by the Dutch. The city has continued to develop throughout the centuries. The thriving island attracted the attention of numerous merchants from the Netherlands and the Jewish traders. Soon the village became a wealthy city, with magnificent malls, shops, institutions and organizations in its streets.
The current city of Williamstown is a mix of historic and modern neighborhoods. The central part of the city, crossed by the narrow Sehategate Canal, is made up of two large neighborhoods. The eastern side is occupied by Pounda, while the western side is occupied by Orlanda. The coastal area along the eastern coastline is full of 18th- and 19th-century French buildings and masonry. Most of them have shops, cafes, fancy restaurants and museums. One of them, the pedestrian-operated König-Emembargug, is a bifurcation and is designed specifically to allow ships to enter the harbor, which has an unusual floating market in its waters. The old Fort Amsterdam, built in 1635, continues to guard the approaches to the harbor as it did in earlier times. It was with him that the construction of Vilémstadt began. Towering in the center of the historic part of the city, the ancient structure is the seat of the government of Curaçao. Until now, the fort still has ancient catacombs, which were built in the event of a siege and were intended to serve as storerooms. In the district of Otterbond, the Museum of Cüüração has many exhibits in its old building, built in 1853. There are works by local and international artists. The museums historic furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries is fascinating to look at. The building is surrounded by a landscaped garden.
The Hebrew History Museum is considered a prominent representative of the citys cultural institutions. Its walls contain a collection of historical documents, in the form of wreaths and ancient objects related to religious atheists. Equally interesting is the Museum of the Ancient Fort of Amsterdam, housed in a church built in 1769. Among its exhibits are silver chalices and various ceremonial objects. There are ancient maps of the island collected over the centuries.
Overall Score
- Air quality: 36 US AQI Good. Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
- Tap water: No, not drinkable
- Religious government: Non-religious
- Population: 150,000 people
- GDP: $19,586 / year
- Internet: 15 Mbps
- Best wireless: UTS
- Tipping: It is suggested to tip the porters at the airport USD $1 per bag. Taxi-drivers are usually tipped with 20% of the fare. Restaurants usually add 8-15% service charge on a bill, and most hotels a 12% service charge to the bill. Hotels charge an additional 7% government tax.
- Apartments: Airbnb
- Hotels: Booking.com
- More hotels: Hotels.com
- Best coffee 24/7: coWorld
- Best hospital: St. Elisabeth Hospitaal
- Best short-haul air carrier: KLM
- Best intl air carrier: KLM
- Monthly costs for expat: $1200
- Monthly costs for family: $2100
- Monthly costs for local: $600
- Meal: $5
- Small Cola: $0.9
- Beer 1 Pint: $1.1
- Coffee: $0.9
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